Course Charting: How I Became an Author

Each of my major interests had a profound impact upon my thinking. Mystery opened my mind to consider possibilities that lay beyond the realm of convention. Music unlocked my creative side, enabling me to think in lyrical phrases and melodic patterns. God shifted my entire world view to that of biblical Christianity. And writing brought a clarity unlike anything I had ever know. In turn, this clarity amplified my natural curiosity. From about 2002-2006, my mental energies were focused primarily in the realm of non-fiction — specifically in three areas: Ancient Egypt (specifically the Middle Kingdom), Christian Spirituality (with a focus on monasticism), and Early American History. I read scores of books on these topics, and incorporated much of what I learned into my writing.

Then, in 2006, a shift occurred. I started thinking about fiction again, particularly how stories function as vehicles for truth. I’d also been thinking a lot about a character named Louie from my earlier short story about an alien encounter in Wyoming. This may sound a little strange, but it was as if Louie wanted to have his entire story written. The encounter that took place in 2001 was only the beginning of a much bigger story. But what? Why had he come? What did he want to say through me? Of course, I had no idea so I made a deal with him. If Louie would tell me his story, I would redirect my writing efforts back toward fiction, and we would write it together.

Louie and I spent about a year together, hanging out in local coffee shops and typing out chapters on my laptop. His story was flowing pretty good until page 133. That’s when he stopped me and said I had started in the wrong place. Apparently, Klyvians don’t think chronologically like humans. He was telling me things about what his life would be like on Earth in the year 2016, some fifteen years after his arrival. He told me about his daughter, Sara, and that his wife was gone and that they were being hunted by some kind of evil being. I, human as I am, thought that’s what he wanted me to write. When I expressed my displeasure at having wasted an entire year, Louie simply smiled, assured me that it wasn’t a waste of time, and insisted I start over from beginning. He also told me he didn’t like being called Louie, and I should use his Klyvian name, Aldi. What could I do? It was no use arguing with a seven foot tall Klyvian, even if he was a product of my own imagination. So I did what he said. I put those 133 pages in a drawer and started over from when he first arrived in 2001. Two years and 650 pages later, Aldi and I finished the account of his first nine months on Earth.

I recall sitting back, basking in the satisfaction of having written my second full-length novel. Aldi looked at me, smiling as he always does, and said, “Now you can start writing about what happens in 2016.”

“But what about all this?” I asked, pointing to the work we had just completed.

“Do what you like,” he replied. “Put it in a drawer or try to get it published. I don’t really care. But you are going to write the rest of my story.”